TUCSON, ARIZONA -- Thank you for using CenturyLink.com. A CenturyLink Sales and Service Consultant will be with you in just a moment. Your account information is confidential and protected by law. Advise our agent if you prefer that we don't use it to market products or repair your services. This has no effect on the service or offers we provide you. CenturyLink offers a bill block at no charge which prevents some 3rd party charges from appearing on your bill. This chat may be monitored and recorded for quality assurance.
Thank you for contacting CenturyLink. My name is Mike T. (20652). How may I help you today?
Michael G: My phone service died last night.
Michael G: ----, South Tucson, AZ 86713. it died around 9:00 P.M.
Michael G: I tried to file a repair ticket online, would not go through.
Mike T. (20652): Hello Michael. Thank you for being a loyal CenturyLink customer. If your service is not working then you will want to put in a repair ticket.
Mike T. (20652): I am sorry we cannot bridge a conference call with our repair department, but let me provide the number for you to contact them. To request repair, please dial 1-877-348-9007 from any working phone. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or, please click here to log in to your MyAccount. Under the "My Services" section, click on the Phone tab to select the Phone Repair link. I apologize for any inconvenience.
Michael G: My phone is not working. That means I cannot call a number to report an outage.
Mike T. (20652): You can use a different phone if possible or report it online.
Michael G: I tried reporting it online numerous times last night.
Michael G: Can you tell me if it is a service problem in my area, or just a problem in this building?
Mike T. (20652): Unfortunately I do not have access to that information. What happens when you try to put in a ticket online?
Michael G: I get an error message, saying a ticket cannot be created.
Mike T. (20652): Did you log in with your username and password first?
Michael G: I work from home, answering phone calls, and lost an entire shift due to this problem.
Michael G: No, I didn't.
Mike T. (20652): That is probably why it did not work. You must first log in with your username and password to submit a repair ticket.
Michael G: so I have to register before I can tell your company that my phone isn't working?
Mike T. (20652): You must log in to put in repair tickets.
Michael G: it would have been helpful, if the error message had stated that.
Michael G: this is the first time I have tried to use the site.
Mike T. (20652): I apologize for the confusion.
Michael G: I am moving later this week; can I arrange a transfer through this medium?
Mike T. (20652): I can put in an order to move your service if you like.
Michael G: that is something, at least.
Michael G: the new address is:----- --- --, Tucson, AZ 85711.
Mike T. (20652): I will start an order.
Michael G: thank you.
Michael G: now, I'm trying to create an account. it is asking for a security code.
Michael G: when I was able to call customer service, this was the last four of my social. I am getting an error message.
Mike T. (20652): Yes, the security code is only used for your online profile so the call centers would not ask for it. We just started adding security codes to the bills so it might not be on yours yet. It would be on the right side of the first page in a green bubble. Otherwise we did send one in your welcome packet. We can send you the code in the mail, we can have an automated system call the billing number with it, or we can send it via e-mail to the e-mail address on the account.
Mike T. (20652): You should know there is a $27.50 fee to move your service.
Michael G: I have a bill here, no green bubb;e.
Mike T. (20652): We can send you the code in the mail, we can have an automated system call the billing number with it, or we can send it via e-mail to the e-mail address on the account.
Michael G: fine. getting service will be good. can this be done Thursday evening?
Mike T. (20652): Are you referring to the move?
Michael G: yes.
Mike T. (20652): I am not able to see the schedule for your area yet. I will know that soon.
Michael G: waiting for the code to arrive in the mail seems like a poor way to get the phone fixed. I am losing work, and income, as we speak.
Mike T. (20652): Mailing the code is one of three options available. We are now offering an @Ease warranty service for the Internet. There are 4 tiers available and I will send you a link with them so you can select one.
Mike T. (20652): For more information on what our @Ease plans offer, please click here.
Mike T. (20652): If you subscribe to one of our paid @Ease tiers, you will receive $5.00 off per month for the first two months. After two months, the price reverts to the normal pricing. No contract is required.
Mike T. (20652): Typically I recommend an upgraded version of @Ease at your new place at least for the first month to make sure your inside wiring supports the full speed. If not, then we would rewire without a fee (normally $99).
Michael G: well, I am concerned with getting the phone working. that is my immediate priority.
Mike T. (20652): I understand that. Would you like me to cancel this order?
Michael G: no, as I am moving Thursday regardless.
Mike T. (20652): Then I will continue with the order for you. Did you make an @Ease selection yet?
Michael G: I wish that this were easy.
Mike T. (20652): Please let me know once you have made a selection.
Michael G: Put me down for the Great plan.
Michael G: why can't you inform whomever that my phone does not have a dial tone? I am disabled and this is causing me hardship.
Mike T. (20652): I apologize, but I am not able to submit repair tickets. I can e-mail you the security code if you like.
Michael G: sure. hopefully I can get into the account.
Michael G: this is frustrating, to say the least.
Mike T. (20652): It has been sent.
Michael G: you are a live person, aren't you?
Mike T. (20652): Yes I am.
Mike T. (20652): Are you going to receive mail at your new location?
Michael G: yes. do I need to repeat the address?
Michael G: -------, Tucson AZ 85711.
Mike T. (20652): That is not needed.
Mike T. (20652): We can move your service as soon as 4/1 and your presence is not required. Would you like us to move your service on the first?
Michael G: this just gets better and better.
Michael G: if that is the first day that I can resume working, then by all means.
Mike T. (20652): What is your contact number on the first if needed?
Michael G: this job requires that I answer calls from a landline.
Michael G: this is my only phone.
Mike T. (20652): Currently we have 520------- as an alternate contact number for you. Is that number not good anymore?
Michael G: you can try it, I do not have that phone with me.
Michael G: if you can, perhaps that person would be so kind as to call you guys back and submit a repair ticket?
Mike T. (20652): Currently you have Bobbi as authorized on your account so she could contact us to submit a ticket. I can add another person if you like.
Michael G: that phone does not have internet, so contacting it by I'm is pointless.
Mike T. (20652): We will not send text messages.
Michael G: I did send an I'm last night to text the phone, no clue if it was received.
Michael G: I wasn't asking you to.
Mike T. (20652): The contact number is for our technician to use if they need to reach you on the first.
Michael G: so leave that alone. They will come by to help me move.
Michael G: If I am still stranded here without a working phone, that will be the first time someone is coming by.
Mike T. (20652): The order to move service is T 42366533 and we will move it on the first by 5 pm. Your presence should not be required. Do you have any more questions?
Michael G: how can I be in contact with a live person, and not be able to report that my phone is not working?
Michael G: This is a crazy setup.
Mike T. (20652): You can call us at 1-800-573-1311 to submit a repair ticket over the phone to talk to a representative
Michael G: If my phone was working, I would not need to call.
Michael G: We've been over this.
Mike T. (20652): Yes, I understand that. However I cannot submit a repair ticket for you. I e-mailed you the security code and you can use that to crate an online profile to submit a ticket online. You can do that or you can call. Those are the two ways you can put in a repair ticket.
Michael G: How about a supervisor, can they do what I need done?
Mike T. (20652): Our supervisors are not able to submit repair tickets either. Basically only one place can and that is our repair department. They are not available in chat.
Michael G: I'm sorry that my situation does not meet the usual criteria for help, but this is a serious problem.
Michael G: Sending emails has not worked to get me in touch with anyone thus far.
Michael G: I have 2 cell phone numbers I could call for help, if I had access to a phone.
Mike T. (20652): I recommend getting at least a pre-paid cell phone in the future in case of situations like these and other emergencies.
Michael G: Yes, I will be sure to do that, now that I have seen how inefficient this service is.
Mike T. (20652): Another suggestion is to create an online profile before it is needed. That makes situations like these a lot easier as well.
Michael G: can you send the code to another email, that I can access today?
Mike T. (20652): We can only send it to the e-mail address on the account.
Michael G: the person that has that cell phone is the one who changed the password after it was hacked.
Michael G: to get into that email address, I have to call them.
Michael G: which is currently not possible.
Michael G: I'm grateful that the internet is still working, but this is ridiculous.
Mike T. (20652): We can change the e-mail address on the account, but we will not be able to send the security code to that address for 30 days.
Mike T. (20652): I have not heard from you for a couple of minutes. Do you still need me to keep this chat conversation open for you?
Michael G: what kind of way is this to run a business?
Michael G: please help me!
Mike T. (20652): The security code process was set up to comply with a FCC mandate on line security and it does help us protect our customers accounts online.
Michael G: I am trying to find a way to get my phone working, so I am not cut off from contact with anyone, and can continue to earn money.
Mike T. (20652): You can put in a repair ticket through an online profile or by calling the 1-800-573-1311 number. I cannot put in a repair ticket for you.
Michael G: please escalate my call.
Mike T. (20652): I can try to locate a supervisor for you. Before I do that, do you have any questions regarding the order to move your service?
Michael G: I am disabled. With my phone down, I am not able to contact anyone.
Michael G: What if I have a personal emergency, aside from losing a weekn of pay?
Mike T. (20652): That is the reason why I recommend getting at least a pre-paid cell phone for emergencies. Having a back-up plan is never a bad idea.
Mike T. (20652): That is also why I recommend getting your online profile set up and making sure you provide us with good contact information before there is an emergency.
Michael G: Yes, I should plan for having my service fail, and not being able to get your company to care in the slightest.
Michael G: I will be posting this chat online, so others can see what kind of service they can expect.
Mike T. (20652): Having back-up plans are always a good idea. Unfortunately our management are not available in chat at this time. We are a small group so this can happen. I can put you down for a call back if you like.
Mike T. (20652): Actually it looks like we do have someone available.
Michael G: Yes, do put me down for a call back, to the phone that ISN"T WORKING.
Michael G: that will be helpful.
Mike T. (20652): I will transfer you. One moment.
Michael G: great.
Please wait while I transfer you to an operator at NOHD.
You are now chatting with 'Jackie C' in CenturyLink Escalation.
Michael G: hello?
Jackie C: HI Michael
Michael G: why can't someone, anyone, inform your repair department that my phone stopped working? I am disabled, and no one is coming by here until Thursday.
Jackie C: Hi Michael My name is Jackie and I am in the escalation dept. How can I help you?
Michael G: Did you read the chat, or did the representative inform you of the situation?
Jackie C: I am reading through the chat now. Can You please provide your phone number? Thanks
Michael G: 520--------.
Michael G: it stopped working, shortly after I started my shift last night.
Jackie C: Are you at the new address or old address?
Michael G: The old address.
Michael G: I move on Thursday.
Jackie C: Please hold on I am going to contract repair thanks
Michael G: thank you!
Jackie C: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Jackie C: I am holding for repair thanks
Michael G: I'm glad that someone cares enough to take care of this.
Jackie C: Not a problem. Repair is looking into the phone thanks for waiting.
Jackie C: When a tech goes out will he have access to the phone box?
Jackie C: Where is located on the property
Michael G: I guess so, they set it up without incident.
Michael G: It's an apartment building.
Jackie C: If a tech goes out and the line tests OK to our outside wiring (phone box) there could be a $85 charge.
Jackie C: We have to disclose this. If not there is not charge.
Michael G: I have no idea why the phone stopped working, it is a new phone.
Michael G: Is there an outage in my area?
Jackie C: At this time there is no outage in the area.
Michael G: I know there was a shooting here last night, don't know if that affects anything.
Jackie C: One thing tech support suggest is to unplug your phone
Michael G: unplugged and replugged. checked all the connections.
Jackie C: Great thanks
Jackie C: The tech can be out tomorrow before 7:30 pm. That is the earliest we can get someone out to the property.
Jackie C: Michael are you still there?
Michael Gr: it's a start.
Michael G: yes, still here.
Jackie C: Thanks
Michael G: could it be an issue with the modem/
Jackie C: No
Michael G: I just want to be sure that I have done everything possible to correct the issue, losing income as I cannot work without the phone.
Jackie C: You may want to try unplugging the modem and plugging it back in when we are done here.
Michael G: Okay, I will do that, and if it works, then I can call you and let you know.
Michael G: or whomever answers the phone, anyway.
Jackie C: Sounds great.
Jackie C: Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Michael G: Yes. I am most displeased with the demeanor and attitude of the representative who was 'servicing' my call, and I hope that he is reprimanded for it.
Michael G: I do not like having to inform people that I am disabled, and usually I can find a way to take care of issues myself.
Michael G: Couldn't he have asked for help, before I had to request escalation?
Jackie C: Michael thank you for the feedback on the Rep. I will provide feedback to him to let him know.
Michael G: thank you. normally, I will give compliments for good service, as I believe in positive feedback.
Jackie C: That is a good question. I am not sure.
Jackie C: I will have to find out.
Michael G: it is thankfully rare that I have to go up the chain of command in this manner.
Michael G: Is there an address that I can write to, regarding this incident?
Jackie C: I understand. We really value you business.
Jackie C: Yes let me provide the address.
Michael G: thank you.
Jackie C: CenturyLink, 930 15th St, 11th floor, Denver, CO 80202.
Michael G: is a record of the chats kept, on your end?
Jackie C: NO there is not sorry.
Michael G: I am copying and pasting as we speak.
Jackie C: Sounds great thanks
Michael G: I can email a copy, as this was a 'fail' before you addressed the issue.
Michael G: all right, not trying to run it into the ground, just want to make sure no one else has to go through this, trying to get help.
Jackie C: Sorry Michael I do not have email address for you to send the letter to.
Michael G: thank you again for your help.
Jackie C: Thanks you so much and have a great day.
Michael G: you too!
Jackie C: Thank you for using Click to Chat. To close this chat, please click "Close" button at the right of your chat window.

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Fraudulent and Unlawful Fee by Qwest

Posted on 06/22/2011

DENVER, COLORADO -- (03/29/2010)
We had been a customer of Qwest for the last 8 (eight) years and we've always paid our bill on time and we have never missed a payment.

Problem: We are being charged for a $200 fee as part of a "2-year Internet plan" that we NEVER signed up for or agreed upon. We called in to disconnect service and it was WAIVED by an employee named EMMA, but it seemed like that fact was totally ignored and then they're still charging us $200 the early termination fee.

Details: On Monday, February 15, 2010; at 11:50a PST, my husband, Ryan, spoke on the phone with one of Qwest' Customer Service employees, Emma, to let her know we were moving out and needed to disconnect our phone and Internet service. She mentioned the $200 fee as a penalty of early disconnection, my husband told her he never agreed to such a contract. She spoke with her manager, who AGREED to WAIVE the erroneous fee. Emma then told my husband an updated bill would be sent to us reflecting the correct final charge. We never received it. (If they are a reputable and such a reliable company they can access the recording of this call, it will prove that she WAIVED the fee for us.)

After emailing them again a couple weeks later, we received a reply from "Nancy" on 03/04/10 apologizing and informing me that the revised final bill would be sent immediately. We finally received the bill for $248, still incorrect! We chatted online with Customer Service again with "Juan" at the "Idaho office". After explaining everything to him, he informed us that no one there could help me, and that we would have to wait until the next morning to speak with the billing department.

On March 16, 2010 @ 9:38a, my husband contacted the billing office and asked for the manager. Darren at the Boise office answered. Once again, my husband explained everything to him, including his conversation with Emma. The manager argued with him about this $200 fee for about ten minutes, insisting that it was valid and justified, even though we have NEVER signed up for any yearly plan! The manager then continued to say that we were sent information about this multiple times, which we were NOT!! My husband told him this a number of times, but the manager wouldn't listen and continued to insist that my husband just doesn't remember, and treated him like he was either making it all up or didn't know what he was talking about. The fact is, Emma had already waived the fee!!

We are completely furious and frustrated with this company! The $200 charge is unfair and UNWARRANTED! He has been a customer of Qwest for years, but if this is how we are going to be treated by them, we will have no hesitation to look elsewhere for professionalism, competence and decent customer service.

Dear Ryan,
Thank you for your recent e-mail inquiry to Qwest in regards to the 200.00 early disconnection fee. There is not a paper agreement you would have signed to set this up. It's done as a verbal agreement. At the time the service is ordered we send you a thank you letter confirming the changes that have been made to your account. In this letter it explains that you've entered into a 2 year agreement and it provides you the terms of the agreement. We also remind you every month when the bill prints that you are receiving a reduced monthly rate because of your 24 month term agreement and the date the agreement expires.

The discount you have received every month based on this agreement is 10.00. In some cases when an agreement is being disputed we will remove the 200.00 fee but go back and bill you for the months you received the 10.00 discount in error. In your case you had the service for 20 months and received a 10.00 discount per month. Unfortunately the amount of discount you received totals the amount you are being billed for with the early disconnection.

I can go ahead and remove the 200.00 early disconnection fee but we will need to go back and bill you for the 10.00 discount you were receiving monthly because of the agreement you did not sign up for.

Regards,

Michele
eService Supervisor
Qwest Customer Care
Consumer Markets

Our reply:

Michele,

As I've stated many times before, I never agreed to any such contract - verbal or physical - nor have I ever received any letter about being in such a contract. As for the $10/month discount on my bill, that was from packaging two services - phone and internet - NOT because of a 2-year contract I had supposedly signed up for. So yes, you can go ahead and get rid of the $200 fee since I was never in that agreement in the first place (as you stated). I was told it was already waived anyway.

Dear Ryan,
I understand your frustration with this issue, howerver both You and Qwest are responsible for making sure you are getting the services you requested at the price you agreed to. We provide you a detailed bill each month in case there was an error made on our part. Until you disconnected your account there were no calls questioning the discounts you were getting or why your bill stated you were in an agreement that expires in 2010.
I can meet you half way on this as you have been an excellent customer with Qwest and adjust 100.00 of the 200.00 fee. You may not have received the thank you letter that was sent but the information has been provided on your bill every month since the service was connected.
You were receiving 2 different discounts on your phone bill for the Internet service. You were getting a 5.00 bundle savings discount and a 10.00 Promotional Discount.
It appeared on your bill each month as follows:
Your savings this month
Thank you for being a valued Qwest customer with Savings for Bundling.-Internet Service. Bundle Savings based on the 1 product(s) you currently have is $5 per month. This bill includes a Bundle Savings of $5.00.
You are receiving a reduced monthly rate for your Qwest Connect service because of your 24 month term commitment. Your agreement expires on 06-19-2010.
________________________________________

Physical & emotional damage (Updated 06/22/2011):
We are still receiving letters from the collection company saying that he still owed Qwest $175 and his credit is completely ruined because of this fraudulent and unlawful fee. Years and years of good credit down the drain because of this.

Resolution Update 07/13/2011:We submitted this complaint to BBB 6/22/2011 and got a response today 07/12/2011 by Qwest. They issued paperwork to adjust the final bill, would notify the collection agency to stop sending us letters, and would have it pulled from the credit bureau.

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Letter that I'll be sending to Qwest

Posted by david_co on 10/23/2010

October 25, 2010

Qwest
CST
1005 17th
Floor 4
Denver, CO 80202

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing you this letter to inform you how I have been mistreated my Qwest over the years. Since the summer of 2001 I was a Qwest customer; and the key word it was. Within one month of ordering service, I had the need to add calling features/services. I called Qwest Customer Service on the phone, and the agent who took my call was extremely nice to me and was more than willing to help me. All I needed was caller ID, Voice Mail, Line Backer and non-published. He explained to me that I could go into a home phone package to save money; so I agreed. Then he explained to me the monthly charges as well as the prorated charges that would appear on my first bill. In 2002 is when the issues started. My services would disappear.

I would call in to have them placed back on, they would disappear. I was fed up and asked customer service and ask them why my services that I'm paying for would disappear after I would call to have them placed back on. I asked them if it was my bill, and they said no. I asked them if it was my bill, and they said no. I also asked them if anyone called in to remove my services, they again said no. I also asked them if there is any record of me calling in to have my calling features/services turned back on, they again said no. Qwest doesn't keep accurate and up to date records even though I was told that it would be noted in my account each time that I would call in to have my calling features/services turned back on. I should keep on calling to have them placed back on after they have been removed. I should keep on calling to have them placed back on after they have been removed. I then called customer service again and asked them to investigate then they transferred me to another customer service agent who then placed me on a written correspondence only restriction where I could only request changes in writing to the "Channel Support Team" I wasn't allowed to call in about my services. When I attempted to make my service right customer service would inform me that either 1) they couldn't find my account, 2) the systems are down or 3) they were unable to access my account. Even repair was unable to access my account. I couldn't get cell phone service because of my credit score/history and prepaid cell phones are too expensive. I needed phone service with no long distance, voice mail, Line Backer wire maintenance caller ID and non-published and that's all. Some genie in the sky was changing my services without my authorization and Qwest wouldn't investigate the issue and find out who or what was causing my issues. I spent many, many hours on the phone with Qwest. I've almost had to go to the hospital due to chest pains because of Qwest's issues.

Iâve posted this same text online, and you find this at http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=88888. Iâve also put the address to Qwestâs âChannel Support Team,â so everyone will be able to see how Iâve been mistreated by Qwest. Qwestâs agents are liars because when I was told one thing by one agent and called in at a later date I was told something else about the same issue.

When I went to read one of the reviews from a recent and former trainee of Qwest, I was appalled that Qwest is only concerned about making money, which didnât and still doesnât surprise me. Here it was he said: âI recently worked for Qwest, went through the 5 of the 6 months of training and all these complaints I'm reading are all to common at Qwest.

Hmm, where to start..

Let's start with the actual training. It's 6 weeks in the classroom and while in the classroom we learn of the 20 different computer programs needed to do this job, most of them in Dos like format.. it's a nightmare navigating through them and on most phone calls we access anywhere from at least 3 to 10 of them.. be prepared when calling Qwest, you will be on the phone with the representative for a while. Also while in the training the trainers focus so much on the sales aspect of the job.. it's all about the almighty dollar at Qwest and we'll get into that a little more later on.

Once done with the classroom training we must pass a test to continue on.. again a lot of the test is testing you on your ability to sell, sell, sell. Next we have 6 weeks of training on the phones. This is where we started losing our class members, at least one a week. We talk to customers and to be honest not one of us really knew what we were doing. It is a hands on job and with so many different computer programs and so many different products Qwest offers no one really knew what they were talking about with the customers either. So during these 6 weeks on the phone we have goals that we MUST meet in order to "graduate" from training.. yes we have to "graduate" and meet these numbers if we want to keep our job. The numbers are ridiculous too.. it depended on how many phone calls we took a day in how high our numbers were. When I quit I had to sell over 600.00 a day while in training.. (I guess I can see why they focused so much on the sales part of the classroom training) I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is to sell something to someone who is already upset having to call in about other billing issues.. and most of the time those issues don't get resolved. It's next to impossible to meet those goals, unless you get a lot of calls that dropped in your lap.

The main reason I quit was because of a number we had to meet that did not allow us to give good customer service.. availability. It's an inbound call center and we had to be available to take incoming phone calls. That means no follow up phone calls or no calling the customer back. It is really hard to give good customer service when you have to worry about your availability every day. Heck, running to the bathroom went against our availability!! It is important to me to go home at the end of the day feeling like I've done a good job and I just wasn't getting that at Qwest.

Now while we're in training our trainers will listen in on our calls from time to time and offer feedback on what we could have done different. Each and every feedback I got was all about how I could have made a sale! What I should have offered that customer and so on. On one call I was talking to a sweet little lady who told me she was 99 years old. All this lady wanted was to change her long distance carrier over to Qwest so that she would receive only one bill every month. My trainer was listening. She came over to me and asked me why I didn't offer to sell her anything. What did she expect me to do? Offer this 99 year old lady a cell phone?? My trainer then informed that once on the floor after I graduate that if my coach were to of listened in on that phone call they would make me call back and offer something.. wtf?? We are required to offer on every single phone call!!! Doesn't matter how upset you are about your bill, doesn't matter if you just want to know your balance, doesn't matter if you are disconnecting your services, it just doesn't matter at Qwest unless it involves $$$$.

In my class of 20 people not one person graduated. The few that did remain come time to graduate hadn't met their numbers and were let go. During my 5 months at Qwest they had hired another 120 people in our office. This was just in our city.. there are Qwest locations all over 14 states. So keep in mind when you call Qwest that it's most likely you are talking to someone in training.. When you call in for quotes on pricing.. call back and get them again. I guarantee you it will be different each time.

Another important thing I want to make people aware of is what is referred to at Qwest as "slamming and cramming" accounts. This is where a customer were to call in about something and the representative "slams" their account with products without the customers knowledge. I can't tell you how many times I dealt with this issue, it was just sickening. In a job that we're required to meet numbers and the reps work on commission you can only imagine how many filthy, dirty reps slammed accounts to meet those numbers or make a dollar themselves. Every time you call into Qwest you are opening your account to them.. you are giving them the access to slam your account with products you don't authorize.. you won't even know it's been done until you get your bill. Then when these people call in about it and state they never authorized this.. nothing can be done. Hope and pray when you call Qwest that you get an honest representative What a nightmare that is getting a phone call on someone who states their account was slammed and there isn't one damn thing I could do about it.

No one to report it too. Even if there was some place to go and report it too I doubt it would get reported.. remember the reps must worry about their availability and get right to the next phone call.

Oh and when you request to talk to a supervisor the representative isn't lying when they tell you one isn't available. Sure we have our trainers and once out on the floor we get a coach who we can go to but they don't have the authority to do anything the reps can't do. There is no one to take a complaint to right there on the spot. We filled out a ticket and sent it out and let the customer know that a supervisor would contact them in the next 24-48 hours. However, I've seen all these tickets and I can tell you that there is no way Qwest has that many supervisors doing call backs.. don't expect to get called back.

I'm not a bitter disgruntled employee who worked at Qwest..There was just so much about that job I didn't agree with that I had to walk away. I wanted to help so many of the people who called me but there was nothing I could do to help them..It's a customer service job but I'm here to tell you there is nothing customer service about it.â

Now, this post really confirms to me that Qwest doesnât care about customer satisfaction or whether or not a customer has a billing issue and what goes on behind the scenes at Qwest. You should be ashamed of how you do business. This type of business is unethical, and has to be against the law!

In closing I will be posting this entire letter to that same website so everyone will have the opportunity to read it. If you are curious and want to read it you can read it at:

Recently, someone was able to use my debit card information and charge $35.00 from Qwest to my debit card

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Recent Trainee for Qwest

Posted by quitQwest on 02/10/2008

DES MOINES, IOWA -- I recently worked for Qwest, went through the 5 of the 6 months of training and all these complaints I'm reading are all to common at Qwest.

Hmm, where to start..

Let's start with the actual training. It's 6 weeks in the classroom and while in the classroom we learn of the 20 different computer programs needed to do this job, most of them in Dos like format.. it's a nightmare navigating through them and on most phone calls we access anywhere from at least 3 to 10 of them.. be prepared when calling Qwest, you will be on the phone with the rep for a while. Also while in the training the trainers focus so much on the sales aspect of the job.. it's all about the almighty dollar at Qwest and we'll get into that a little more later on.

Once done with the classroom training we must pass a test to continue on.. again a lot of the test is testing you on your ability to sell, sell, sell. Next we have 6 weeks of training on the phones. This is where we started losing our class members, at least one a week. We talk to customers and to be honest not one of us really knew what we were doing. It is a hands on job and with so many different computer programs and so many different products Qwest offers no one really knew what they were talking about with the customers either. So during these 6 weeks on the phone we have goals that we MUST meet in order to "graduate" from training.. yes we have to "graduate" and meet these numbers if we want to keep our job. The numbers are ridiculous too.. it depended on how many phone calls we took a day in how high our numbers were. When I quit I had to sell over 600.00 a day while in training.. (I guess I can see why they focused so much on the sales part of the classroom training) I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is to sell something to someone who is already upset having to call in about other billing issues.. and most of the time those issues don't get resolved. It's next to impossible to meet those goals, unless you get a lot of calls that dropped in your lap.

The main reason I quit was because of a number we had to meet that did not allow us to give good customer service.. availability. It's an inbound call center and we had to be available to take incoming phone calls. That means no follow up phone calls or no calling the customer back. It is really hard to give good customer service when you have to worry about your availability every day. Heck, running to the bathroom went against our availability!! It is important to me to go home at the end of the day feeling like I've done a good job and I just wasn't getting that at Qwest.

Now while we're in training our trainers will listen in on our calls from time to time and offer feedback on what we could have done different. Each and every feedback I got was all about how I could have made a sale! What I should have offered that customer and so on. On one call I was talking to a sweet little lady who told me she was 99 years old. All this lady wanted was to change her long distance carrier over to Qwest so that she would receive only one bill every month. My trainer was listening. She came over to me and asked me why I didn't offer to sell her anything. What did she expect me to do? Offer this 99 year old lady a cell phone?? My trainer then informed that once on the floor after I graduate that if my coach were to of listened in on that phone call they would make me call back and offer something.. WTF?? We are required to offer on every single phone call!!! Doesn't matter how upset you are about your bill, doesn't matter if you just want to know your balance, doesn't matter if you are disconnecting your services, it just doesn't matter at Qwest unless it involves $$$$.

In my class of 20 people not one person graduated. The few that did remain come time to graduate hadn't met their numbers and were let go. During my 5 months at Qwest they had hired another 120 people in our office. This was just in our city.. there are Qwest locations all over 14 states. So keep in mind when you call Qwest that it's most likely you are talking to someone in training.. When you call in for quotes on pricing.. call back and get them again. I guarantee you it will be different each time.

Another important thing I want to make people aware of is what is referred to at Qwest as "slamming and cramming" accounts. This is where a customer were to call in about something and the rep "slams" their account with products without the customers knowledge. I can't tell you how many times I dealt with this issue, it was just sickening. In a job that we're required to meet numbers and the reps work on commission you can only imagine how many filthy, dirty reps slammed accounts to meet those numbers or make a dollar themselves. Every time you call into Qwest you are opening your account to them.. you are giving them the access to slam your account with products you don't authorize.. you won't even know it's been done until you get your bill. Then when these people call in about it and state they never authorized this.. nothing can be done. Hope and pray when you call Qwest that you get an honest rep. What a nightmare that is getting a phone call on someone who states their account was slammed and there isn't one damn thing I could do about it.

No one to report it too. Even if there was some place to go and report it too I doubt it would get reported.. remember the reps must worry about their availability and get right to the next phone call.

Oh and when you request to talk to a supervisor the rep isn't lying when they tell you one isn't available. Sure we have our trainers and once out on the floor we get a coach who we can go to but they don't have the authority to do anything the reps can't do. There is no one to take a complaint to right there on the spot. We filled out a ticket and sent it out and let the customer know that a supervisor would contact them in the next 24-48 hours. However, I've seen all these tickets and I can tell you that there is no way Qwest has that many supervisors doing call backs.. don't expect to get called back.

I'm not a bitter disgruntled employee who worked at Qwest..There was just so much about that job I didn't agree with that I had to walk away. I wanted to help so many of the people who called me but there was nothing I could do to help them..It's a customer service job but I'm here to tell you there is nothing customer service about it.

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Billing Nightmare

Posted by celless on 11/15/2007

BROOKLYN CENTER, MINNESOTA -- I am writing this letter because my family has been with Qwest for years and to get treated in a manner that is unbecoming of any company. I have never in my life been talked to and not trying to understand what the problem is and how to go about fixing it. First I should tell you what all I have with Qwest:

2 separate LAN lines
Hi-speed internet
2 cell phones
All of this is on one account.

Well my problems started when my bill got high due to a family member was in jail for a period of time and all his calls racked up a high phone bill (not complaining about the bill), the due date to pay the bill was two (2) weeks away and the bill (e-bill) stated that I had to pay $346 on or before that date. Now here is where things start going haywire. I went to make a call on my cell phone (remember this is two (2) weeks before the pay the bill due date) and my call would not go through and there was a message telling me to call Qwest. I called Qwest and got agent that told me that my cell phones were temporarily off (but not completely cutoff) until the bill was paid (now remember this is done two (2) weeks before the bill is due).

Okay so I paid the $346 and made arrangements with the agent to pay the balance $320 in two (2) weeks they stated that that will be just fine, when it was time to pay I went online to see how much exactly I had to pay and much to my surprise the balance showed zero $0.00 With a credit amount of $68.09. At first I was confused and I called my sister and she told me that I need to verify this with Qwest because this happened to her and then her account ended up in collections.

So I called Qwest to find out what happened to my balance and the agent told me that what had happened that a bill that I had paid before was placed on a "ghost bill", I asked what that was and she said it was like a mirror image of the real bill but it has no activity on it. The Qwest agent told that somebody that worked there caught it and applied it to my account which wiped out the remaining balance leaving me with a credit of $68.09. (Woohoo lucky day for me). I asked what do I have to do to get the cell phones turned back on? She said oh she can get them turned back on and she did. Now all this took place in September and in October when I checked my balance it was $42 everything was almost back to normal until November, I went to the Qwest site to check my balance and it was $188 (still not a problem since I was getting ready to pay it) but then I got a bill through the mail which I never had gotten before since I did everything online with Qwest.

I figured it was a statement telling me about the cell phone upgrade that I had just done 1 week ago (11/05/2007). I had called Qwest 11/05/2007 to upgrade my cell phone since I had it for over two (2) years and they also stated that I had to sign a new two (2) year agreement (which I thought was absurd, but I signed it regardless). I opened the Qwest letter and it nearly knocked me out of my seat, it stated that I owed Qwest $663.09 At first I figured that it was that "ghost bill" but I decided to call Qwest to confirm my suspicions and that is when everything hit the fan. I was on the phone all day trying to figure out what was going on, the first agent I talked to (over an hour while I was at work) checked everything and then proceeded to tell me that the bill is correct, I advised her that when I went online last week it said my balance was $188 and then she told me that the bill that I got through the mail was just for the cell phones and that I had not paid the balance of $320 back in September, I let her know that back in sept. I had made arrangements to pay that balance and was told that it was cleared up because of a computer error and she said she does not see that in the notes anywhere, then she told me that someone at Qwest had separated the house phones / internet from the cell phones (something that I had no knowledge of whatsoever).

Then she transferred me this man that stated that he was in the finance dept. And he was very rude, we got into this yelling match and I hung up on him because I was at work. I left work early so that I could go home and bring everything up on my computer but much to my surprise when I went to the Qwest site it said that there was technical difficulties to show my bill. So now I called Qwest back and got another agent who checked everything and he also said that the bill was correct, now I am very frustrated because nobody would listen to what I had to say, they just kept reading what is in front of them.

I am in the telecomm field and I know that it is very necessary to be able to take good notes and to document everything but I also know that it doesn't always happen. After talking to several people throughout the day finally I get a guy that does some serious checking and says that he sees a problem with the bill and then he transfers me to another person just so that he can tell me once again the bill is correct and hangs up. I call Qwest again now it is around 7pm and I am mad that no one has still listened to me, so this time I make this person listen to my questions:

q:how is it possible for a person at Qwest to rearrange how my bill is bundled without consulting me first?
A:I don't know
q:how is that I do not receive any notice of this change?
A:I don't know
q:how is it that you say that my past due bill amount started in sept. Yet I have not been sent a bill until November to the tune of $663.09?
A:I have to transfer you to someone that can help you

so now once again I have to explain to another person the situation, but then he comes on talking like there was some light at the end of this tunnel and he finds a couple of things that will save me money like $8.00 A month because I was being doubled billed for caller id etc...Then he checks deeper and says that this bill has been sent to a collection agency a while ago, I asked how could that be, I just upgraded my phone through Qwest a week ago, the agent said he didn't know how that could be since the cell phones are turned off, then I advised him that I was talking to him on my cell phone and that the cell phones are not turned off, he then said he will call over to credit and collections and see if we can set up a payment plan which I reluctantly agreed to. The agent came back and said the only thing he could do for me is if I pay the $517.37 Right now they can wait on the $145.72.

I advised him that there is no way that I am going to pay that since this mess was not made by me and he agreed that Qwest had made a mistake but in order to clean it up I need to pay $517.37 Right now, that is when I informed him that instead of going all the way around the block he should have just said "pay the bill", I asked him if he thought I was an idiot and that was when he first put me on mute and I asked was he still there and then came back on and said that he can hear me and then there was a lot of laughing in the background and another person said something smart and I asked what did he say and he said "nothing". After he muted me several times and he knew that was irritating me he said there was nothing he could do for me since this is with a collection agency.

Now I also found that I will probably have to pay early disconnect fees for both phones on top of this bill. My phone was completely out of the early disconnect fee before I upgraded 11/05/2007 and my daughters phone would have been out of the early disconnect fee 12/25/2007, because of a Qwest error now I am going to have to deal with a collection agency. Now the final straw hit when I was on my way home last night and proceeded to call my 13 year old daughter to see what time I had to pick her up from church, the cell phones were turned off. I am sending this letter to any and everybody that I feel needs to hear about this and I have already found other people that this has happened too, but they elected to just leave Qwest and go with another provider, as I said earlier that I have been with Qwest for years and never had a problem (sure little ones) but nothing major until this and I think this stemmed from in-house lack of communication and some illegal rearranging of a my bundle without my knowledge and not properly informing me for almost three months of a separate accumulating bill that I had no knowledge of (was still under the assumption that everything was on one bill.

I highly advise Qwest to do the right thing and clean this up. I am in the process of taking legal actions.

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Star 78, I love this feature!

Posted by Skye on 05/28/2010

COLORADO -- I just added on a new feature to my phone service. It's called Star 78, and it blocks unwanted calls. Lately, we have been getting calls early in the morning and late at night, from those annoying 1-800,888 and 866 numbers. I called Qwest, and asked if there was a way to block unwanted calls, and they told me about this feature. I liked how it sounded, so I agreed to it. Now with my DSL service, phone service and long distance, my monthly bill will be even less!

Now I just star 78, get a menu, and it gives me the option to enter phone numbers I want to block. It even allows for cell phone numbers to be blocked. One number that has become quite a nuisance is, 603-214-3593, which is something called Focus Group. I looked it up, and its some marketing firm. They are now blocked. I can also now see all the calls that are coming in, similar to caller ID, and back track to what numbers have called. You can also edit to remove blocked numbers, if you choose. Pretty cool features.

Great job Qwest, for having this block feature!

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Beware ! They keep charging you even when you quit service!

Posted by dianesarah66 on 10/17/2011

YELM, WASHINGTON -- I had Qwest now called Century Link for 5 years and was never late on payments. In August 2011 I decided to transfer long distance service with my current telephone carrier, Fair Point communications. They offered a decent bundle package for the price so I went with them. I inquired to Ken, the gentleman at Fair Point did I need to call Qwest/Century Link to discontinue service? He replied, NO, you can stay on the line and we can have a 3 way conference. After being on hold, he came back on the line with a lady representative for Qwest/Century Link on the 2nd line. We discussed why I was changing and she asked all the questions they normally do. "Did I want to discontinue service with them? Yes- Did I want it to happen immediately? Yes. Oh and we can't forget before her speaking, the usual recording of This call will be recorded for quality and training purposes. She speaks to the Fair Point communications gentleman Ken, again who was my witness that we indeed cancelled service on that day. The next day, I had to make long distance phone call. Upon dialing, a recording stated I had no long distance to make that call. Obviously Qwest/Century Link disconnected it right away and Fair Point was to start later in the day. However, about 3 weeks later, I received a bill from Qwest/Century link charging me for service AFTER THE DATE I CANCELLED WITH THEM. I had NO LONG DISTANCE, yet now, they were telling me there was no record of me cancelling and my account was still active! How can you have no long distant service from a company -zippo- yet your account is still be active? I was not getting anywhere with Alexis or Anna from that cheating company because they said there was no record of any representative talking to me or the Fair Point Rep Ken.
I called Fair Point up now to see if they would call Century Link, he read the notes and said, yes we spoke with them, wait on the line and we can have another 3 way conference call. They proceeded to tell him the same thing. That "I didn't call" and my account was still active. He spoke with a supervisor--no service there either. Basically Tough luck, I was still paying. Where is my recording I ask? Why don't you use it now? Finally Danielle from Fair Point took over and she called a supervisor, she got the same treatment. So now, Danielle tells me "I'm sorry, I find it hard to believe we didn't get anywhere with them however, we will give you credit for the bill they are charging you when in fact you had no service from them. Fair Point made good on that and I provided a copy of the thieving bill from Century Link. So what is obvious is this, Don't think if another carrier has you on 3 way and you cancel Century Link's service on a conference call, that your account is really inactive. They will keep charging you because YOU DID NOT CALL direct from your phone line. It's a great set up to "Forget or have no record" that the customer cancelled and made that account inactive. It gives Century Link how many more hundreds of thousands of dollars from how many millions of customers? THEY ARE THIEVES AND NOT IMPECCABLE. BEWARE.

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Qwest Landline Service: Rotting, Stinking Dinosaur

Posted by alexfr on 09/12/2010

In the town where I live, Qwest is an exclusive provider of landline phone service. This is a dying business and what baffles me is that Qwest itself is doing everything it can to accelerate the process. There are countless stories here and elsewhere on the internet of people leaving them in disgust. Here's mine.

It started innocently enough, when I noticed on my bill: "Give us a call for a free account review. See how much you can save with Qwest." I took the bait and called them. Lo and behold, they tell me indeed I had been paying too much, for features I never used. They promise me my next bill should be lower.

I get the next bill and it is HIGHER than before. I'm puzzled. Maybe it's just because of the transition to the new plan? No, the bill after that is also higher.

I call again. No problem, they tell me, we can fix it all. I get my next bill and -- surprise -- it is higher still!

Over the next several months I call them repeatedly. Every time I'm told, "OK, there's been a mistake, but we'll fix it all for you. Retroactively." And after every such "fix" my bill continues to increase.

I don't know what to think. Isnât there someone at this company â one person -- who can actually get it right?! Can the entire company be so utterly incompetent? I refuse to believe it. I call one last time. I get a representative who explains to me that ... it's actually all my fault! It's quite clear to her that 6 months earlier I called Qwest and requested that my bill be increased (!!!), for the same service. So there, she explains, you got what you wanted. Certainly nothing will be changed retroactively.

I'm dumbstruck. "Does it really make sense to you that I would call Qwest for an account review, so that I could pay more for the same service?" -- "That's what you did", is her answer.

Things only get worse from this point on. "Isn't there someone at your company who can help me?" -- "No, sir." -- "Please transfer me to your supervisor" -- "I can't do that. And he won't do anything for you."

After I ask her for the 4th or 5th time, she relents and all of a sudden it is possible to talk to her supervisor. But, there's a trick. They first put me on hold, while behind the scenes she explains to him the situation. As she sees it, of course. When the supervisor at last speaks to me, he begins with the same premise, that the customer is always wrong and needs to be convinced of that. He launches an intense line of questioning: "Why are you calling now, when the change was made many months ago?" -- "Because to date I haven't been able to get your company to fix this." -- "I think you've been happy with this change. My proof: I see that you paid you bills on time." -- "I do pay my bills on time. Always. Are you really suggesting I shouldn't have paid my phone bills for six months??" -- "Our system shows that you requested back in January that we increase your rate!" -- "...??? On what planet do you live where customers call and ask to pay more?!" -- "Some of our customers do that!" -- " ....????..."

Eventually, he says that I've taken too much of his time. To make me go away, he offers me twenty bucks. A one-time credit. This doesn't cover the amount of the overcharges. But that's what His Highness is graciously giving me. Take it or leave it. I tell him that I will be leaving Qwest. He is completely unconcerned with that. I ask him how his company, which sells an old-fashioned landline service, plans to stay in business with this sort of customer treatment, in the age of iPhones, Droids, Google Voice, Skype, Magic Jack, and Vonage. He does not understand why I ask this. We conclude, "Can I help you with anything else?" -- "No, I see that you can't."

I've had it with Qwest. I'm canceling my landline, and I swear that I will never again touch any "product" by this company, be it phone, internet, TV, whatever else. Oh, yeah, and I'm getting myself a brand new Droid cell phone. Something I really should've done 6 months ago.

Update:
#1. After posting this review elsewhere on the internet, I received a letter from Qwest. "Thank you for being a Qwest customer. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you for many years to come. [...] Contact us today at 1 866.210.4693 for your free account review".

#2. I ordered Droid X. Once it gets here, I'm canceling Qwest. The Droid hasn't shipped yet, because of "exceptionally high demand" for it. Translation: "because we have throngs of people rushing to dump their landline".

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FED UP!

Posted by Jess1234 on 07/20/2010

To Whom It May Concern:

I established an account with Qwest/Direct TV when I moved into a new apartment complex in late May 2010. After receiving an installation date and time with Direct TV, the first installer that came to the apartment was over three hours late. He did not call to inform me that he was running late nor did he apologize when he arrived. He in fact seemed quite put off that he was there at all. After installing the box and not performing any diagnostic testing, he informed me that my apartment was not wired for Direct TV and that he did not have the time to address this matter. He then told me to call my apartment complex and have the maintenance department come out and wire the apartment. When speaking with maintenance I was informed that was not their job, but that the apartment was in fact wired for Direct TV and the installer had not correctly hooked up the equipment.

I waited an additional week for another Direct TV subcontractor to come out and he was several hours late as well without a phone call. However he did apologize and was quickly able to set up service. He stated that all three rooms in the apartment were wired for Direct TV and wasn’t sure what the previous subcontractor had problems with.

On July 3, 2010 I had scheduled another Direct TV subcontractor to come install a HD box in the living room and install the basic box in the bedroom. The time frame given was between 9am and 1:30pm. At approximately 2pm I began calling Direct TV to see if the installer was still coming. I then had two hours of calling Direct TV and Qwest and six different phone numbers to try to find an agent that could tell me the status of my appointment. I was told that because it was Saturday they could not find that ticket information and that I would just need to wait at the apartment or call Monday if the installer did not show up. At that time I went to my apartment complex manager and was given a cell phone number for a local Qwest manager. She was able to contact a Direct TV agent and I was assured that someone would call me right back. No one ever called me and it wasn’t until after 6pm that the installer showed up with no explanation or apology.

Now that the installation issues have been resolved I am confronted with any equally frustrating billing issue. Apparently because I only have Direct TV and no other services, I have been told to call Direct TV with any technical issues and to call Qwest with all billing issues. Each time I have called Qwest regarding my account I am told that I need to call Direct TV. When I explain my situation, I am still informed that I need to call Direct TV. It has taken a Direct TV agent to call Qwest and explain my situation twice to even have a Qwest agent agree to look up my account. Each time I give my account number, name, address or phone number, the agents have been unable to find my account. My statement comes from Qwest with all of this information on it and I am perplexed with the multiple conversations I have had, why agents can still not find my account. I have been left on hold several times for so long that I have had to hang up. When I have asked for a manager, one is never available.

I set up bill pay with Bank of America and my first bill of $29.99 showed that it cleared from my account in late June. However, when I received my updated bill, it showed a past due of $29.99. When I called Qwest, I again went through the same procedure of being told to call Direct TV. My bill comes from Qwest; the account number listed on my bill is a Qwest account number, but according to Qwest is incorrect. I have never been given a correct account number. I finally handed this issue over to Bank of America last week and until today have not been able to resolve this issue. Direct TV and Qwest have wasted 3 days of my time and multiple hours on the phone without an apology. Having phone calls last 40 minutes with close to a 25 minutes hold is unacceptable. It took a conference call with my bank today to receive a correct account number and it is the first time I have been advanced to a manager. If I had a choice, I would not continue my contract with your company, however, with my apartment complex, I do not have a choice.

I am sure you can see my frustration. I am an emergency room nurse and work in a call center as well. In fact, we are taught that the customer, whether it is a disgruntled patient or caller, is always right. I know we do not live in a perfect world and that there can be difficulties finding correct or accurate information. I do not feel that I have been treated as a valued customer. I expect Qwest and Direct TV to provide the services I have paid for in a timely and professional fashion and up to this point, I feel both companies have failed miserably. I hope that this is not the service I continue to receive. I would appreciate any feedback or compensation for my time that you might have and I hope to correspond with you in the near future.

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Cell Phone Nightmare

Posted by pdxmom on 01/13/2006

PORTLAND, OREGON -- I have been with QWEST for 8 years. I had my home phone line, a shared cell phone plan with two cell phones, and high speed internet through them.

In August of 2005 I broke my cell phone. I called to buy a new one to replace it. I did NOT want to change anything about my plan, just wanted to simply replace a phone. The representative informed me that I could get a phone for a cheaper price if I extended my contract. I SPECIFICALLY asked if anything would change about my plan, and he assured me that my plan would remain EXACTLY the same. Later, I discovered that this was a total lie and that I was slammed.

When I received the next month's bill I had huge overage charges. I discovered that this was because the representative changed my plan from an older plan (shared loyalty) to a new plan that was more expensive and had fewer minutes, causing me to go way over on my minutes. At that time I spoke with a manager who credited off all the extra charges. She then, supposedly, changed my plan back to the old plan I was on (the one that I expected the contract to continue as).

However, I soon discovered that neither phone in my shared plan now had voicemail. After calling QWEST they told me that my voicemail which had always been free would now be $5.99 per phone per month. After repeated calls they explained that while they were somehow able to "build back" my old plan that I could no longer get voicemail on my cell phones unless I paid these new charges.

I spoke with two different managers about how unfair this was. I wanted my voicemail put back on free, as it always had been. Simply buying a new phone did not give them authorization to change my plan, particularly without notifying me. These two different managers (one named Will and the other's name I forget) promised that they would send a request to the "back billing department" to add the voicemail on for me and then have it credited off every month. They told me that this back billing department would call me by a certain date to let me know what was happening. I received no call.

I called QWEST again and spoke with a manager after the date passed. This manager said he was going to research it and would call me back. Two days later and no call. I called again and spoke with another manager who said he was going to research the problem and call me back in 15 minutes. Three hours later I had still received no call back and had to call QWEST again. This is horrific customer service and completely inexcusable.

Finally, a new manager told me there was nothing he could do to get my voicemail back as I'd always had it without being charged these new fees. I told him I then wanted to deactivate my three services from QWEST (home line, cell phone package, and high speed internet) and to transfer me to deactivation.

I spoke with Tamra in deactivation. She (again) said that she would send a request to the "back billing department" but we would have to wait a few days to get an answer. She claimed there was no way for her to simply CALL the back billing department and straighten out this ridiculous problem over the phone. Tamra said she would call me on Friday to let me know what the final outcome was.

Thankfully, Tamra did call me on Friday, January 13th, but told me that the back billing department was unwilling to complete the request. I told her I was extremely angry, felt lied to, slammed, tricked, etc. I then asked her to deactivate my three QWEST services. She then proceeded to tell me that I would have a $200 deactivation charge for leaving my "contract" early. This is completely unethical, as I NEVER agreed to a contract that changed my plan. I do not feel that this contract was valid, as it was not the contract I agreed to. The QWEST representative slammed me and changed my plan when I agreed to the contract. I was agreeing to the contract if I got to keep my old plan and all its features, including the free voicemail.

I am extremely upset with QWEST and their unethical business practices. Not only did they slam me and trick me into an invalid contract, but now they are charging me $200 to leave a contract I never agreed to in the first place!!! In addition, I feel that I was strung along, as numerous QWEST managers, the back billing department, etc. did not return my calls as promised.

Today (January 13th)I have deactivated my three QWEST services (cell phone, home line, and high speed internet). I am extremely disappointed to have to do this, but feel I have no choice. I would like to at least see some recourse so I am not charged $200 for leaving a fraudulent contract.

I would appreciate if someone would contact me as how to proceed in my complaint with QWEST.